1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to packaging. More particularly, the present invention relates to a generally rectangular package of paperboard or other flexible material that contains an internal frame structure used to position and hold an article that is placed in the package.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Packaging has become an important part of the marketplace image of many products, in addition to serving to protect the products packaged. For many products of irregular shape, it is desired to package the product in a rectangular carton to simplify and regularize packing in cartons and to give a neat appearance to shelf displays. At the same time, it is often a goal of the package to display the product attractively through apertures or windows in the package. When a package is somewhat larger than the article it contains, it becomes necessary to use a structure internal to the outer walls of the package to position and hold the article relative to the apertures or windows. The same internal structure may also be used to cushion the article or to keep it from shifting freely within the package.
In prior art packages, various folded and/or glued panels have been used to form the internal positioning structure. In one form of package often used for small products such as a roll-on deodorant bottle, the product has been positioned by means of a pair of parallel panels connected by a strut. The product rests between the parallel panels and it is constrained by the strut against motion in a direction parallel to the panels. Because the strut is a relatively narrow strip of paperboard, it may become warped or bent, permitting the product to escape the position that the internal positioning structure was designed to hold. An internal positioning structure having greater integrity and ability to hold a product securely would be a desirable improvement over the known prior art.